Happy Halloween 2010!

The only pumpkin we carved this year. It's no Sturgis creation, but not too bad....

On our way to Grandma and Grandpa's for the first Trick-or-Treating stop of the night.

Surprise! Cousin Ryann was there too (as Alice in Wonderland).

At our house eating the fruits of their labor. Actually, it was most definitely MY labor as I pulled them (60lbs. of kids + the weight of the wagon and blankets) up and down the hills of our neighborhood. Fortunately they got too cold to do more than about a dozen houses.

Hanging with Dad!

Ballet Class

Tonight was the night Jim and I could sit in the classroom and watch Nicole during dance class. She's the shortest in the class (shades of her mother...) so her number (1) was on the far end.





See the dance instructor? She's THE SAME teacher I had from ages 4-12!

A little blurry but she was in motion!

I tried for literally hours to let a video load but it wouldn't! (been trying for days on other videos too with the same result). I'll research and attempt to repost.

Nicole is not the most coordinated kid in the class for sure. She eagerly does the following though:

1) volunteers to answer questions

2) play around with her skirt

3) watch the instructor/helpers and attempt to copy

They showed us her costume for the recital - it looks like a nightgown because the song has something to do with falling asleep while listening to the rain. They'll get teddy bears as props too apparently.

We can't ALL be the best

When I was in grade school we had a Field Day at the end of every school year. Like many other schools, this day was dedicated to being outside and competing. We had events like:

• 50 yard dash
• bean bag throw (distance)
• twirling a marshmallow on a string the fastest
• High Jump
• Dropping clothespins held at your nose in a jelly jar

The school gave blue, red and white ribbons for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in each event. Kids pinned the ribbons to their shirts as we progressed around the different stations. As you can imagine, the athletic kids had 2, 3, 4+ hanging on their chests.

Not once in 8 years of grade school did I win a blue ribbon. I did get a red once in the marshmallow race. I had a handful whites in a variety of things over my tenure.

Maybe because I won something it never really bothered me that I didn't win lots of ribbons. Maybe because I won something I didn't appreciate how frustrating it is for the kids who never won anything.

Maybe it didn't bother me that I didn't have a full collection because I understood then what kids now don't have to understand- we can't all win.

Around my 7th grade year they did away with individual competitions and moved to a team environment. Here the entire school was randomly divided into three teams. Winning scores in the events gave points to your team, not ribbons to the winner. Everyone got a treat for participating.

***

I was on the swim team from when I was 8 until I was 17. The collection of ribbons down in my basement are mostly orange, yellow and green because I swam exhibition (fun) races and not the real ones that counted towards my team's point-count. I still pushed it as hard and fast as I could. I still counted on the full-out cheers from my friends and family at the end of the lane and eating at the after-meet pizza party. Sure, I loved competing in the "real" races and even won a few. But, if my girl friend Lori could be our spot in the breast stroke relay or me, I'd pick Lori because she'd earn Orchard Hill points. She was faster. That didn't make her a better person than me. It made her a better swimmer.

***

I don't think it's all bad for people (not just kids) to realize that they're not good at some things, whether that's running 50 yards or programming a computer. It *should* lead you to try to find the thing that you *are* really good at- arranging flowers, talking people off ledges, or whatever.

I support swim meets with competitive races and appreciate that they make time for exhibition events too. I support try-out based sports teams and value the community leagues that take everyone else. I support auditions for the lead roles in plays and the opportunities to help build the set for those that still want to be involved. I support teacher-approved Honors classes for the bright kids and lower-intensity classes for the less-gifted students.

I think it's most important for me as a parent to teach my kids that while they might not win everything they try they can not be sore losers. If they really like an activity being involved and having fun where you can is the most important thing. Just because it's not the select team doesn't mean it doesn't have merit and can't be a good time. Further, being in a lower league/class/role is not an excuse for not trying your best.

Parenting Moments

Conversation at the breakfast table this morning:

"Because I have such a good little girl, who stayed in her own bed all night, we can go to the pumpkin patch tonight."

Glee ensues...

"And Chris can come too because he stayed in his bed?"

"Yes, Chris can come. I'm so lucky to have two good kids."

"No, mom, me and Chris are lucky."

Halloween and Bustin' Some Moves

For Halloween Nicole is going to be Dorothy and Chris is going to be the Lion. Not one to spend a fortune on costumes, both are being borrowed (Ryann was Dorothy last year and the Lion costume, which sparked the Dorothy one, is a hand-me down from cousin Noah).

I was bad about not putting hats on Chris so as a result he's always pulling off whatever I put on his head now. We're practicing keeping the mane on daily and he's gotten to like it... for a while. Whenever I put it on him he "roars" loudly and I shiver with fear which makes him giggle.

Nicole is really getting into the Dorothy role. I'm surprised and impressed because she's only seen the movie twice - once on the way and once on the way home from vacation in JULY. When I ask if she wants to watch it now she adamantly does NOT because the witch is "so scary". But, she remembers a lot about it and is excited about her ruby slippers from Target and frequently asks if Lindsay got the chocolate off the costume so she can practice. We've been singing it for over a year, but in preparation for her upcoming role, Nicole sings "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" to me each night before bed. I'll work on getting a video.

-------------

A little clip from our night last night. As it has for the last three years, the Michael Jackson craze continues....

Politics

Well, if the streets you drive are anything like mine they're LITTERED in political signs. On the West Side of Cincinnati it's Chabot for Congress that's got the most up. Even my brother and sister-in-law have a sign in their yard and I didn't realize they were that heavy of supporters!

Though I have very strong political views on a myriad of topics I have yet to take a hard look at any candidates' positions. I'm not even sure when election day is. Have no fear, I will be organized and informed by the time it rolls around.

------

As a side political note, I have some inner jousting about this whole mosque at Ground Zero thing. I assimilate it to the non-smoking ban in Cincinnati. While I don't like the smoke and certainly don't want my kids around it, I feel like it's not my place to tell others they can't make their own choices.

Same gig - I'm not wild about the idea to put a Mosque at Ground Zero but I recognize that it's a small faction of the faith that caused those crimes, not the people who'd be worshipping there. Why should we restrict them from having a nice place of worship (especially when so much money is going to other community things in the same area)?

I think it would be more appropriate to put a completely non-denominational worship hall there that any faith could use on a scheduled basis for their purposes.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Well, I'm officially 31 years old. That doesn't feel old. In fact, like always, I wonder how I'm 31 and still have so far to go....

What I did on my birthday:

• Took the kids to daycare
• Went to work
• Smiled all day as I was wished Happy Birthday via text, in person, on facebook, and over the phone.
• Decided that if I ever own a company I will give everyone their birthday off as a paid holiday
• Enjoyed chicken cordon bleu at my parents house - yummy!
• Got level 2 cake decorating lessons, a cake decorating box (place to put all my supplies), some jewelry, and a 1/2 day at the spa (1 hr. massage, 1 hour pedicure, manicure, hair cut & style, make-up consultation).
• Got excited about my party on Saturday with the rest of my family

What I've enjoyed most about being 30

• My roller skating birthday party
• Realizing again and again how blessed I am that our family is healthy and happy- taking this realization and gained a deep appreciation
• Gotten excited about weddings - 2 co-workers engaged, 1 brother engaged, 1 friend engaged
• Enjoyed being married more than ever

What I'm going to do in my 31st year

• Introspect more and make changes that are necessary versus taking the easy road
• Be a better friend - I think I'm a pretty good friend in general but I let my own life/problems/busyness get in the way of being as good of a friend that I really want to be.
• Enjoy the little moments more - I'm very process and productivity-driven and I could be less so at home
• Do one really wild thing. Recently I was intregued by trapese lessons; this could be a possibility.... Someone please call me on this a year from now.

Eating Habits

I've been a bit blah lately when it comes to eating. Normally I'm all about variety - Indian, Chinese, Mexican, good ole' American- whatever! The last week though nothing sounds particularly good.

These blahs are jacking up my creativity for dinner too - I can't think beyond the common (BBQ Chicken again, anyone?). Having such boring meals doesn't really inspire me to eat as much either which is good news for Chris who is happy to eat all of his food and any of my leftovers. In fact, he's eaten as much or more than me for the last several days.

Any suggestions to jump-start my culinary skills?

TV Time

I wasn't so much into TV before we got DVR. Now, with the ability to watch on my schedule there's no reason to not be entertained. I am kinda goofy about starting new shows in the middle of a season especially, and, to nearly the same extent, if I can't watch them in order from the beginning. As such, though I've gotten lots of "you NEED to watch Big Bang Theory/How I Met Your Mother/Two and a Half Men/etc." I can't do it and give it my "all". I only watch TV when the kids are in bed - either for the night or naps- and it's turned into a bit of a guilty pleasure over the last 9 months.

The shows I'm DVRing right now include:
Parenthood
Glee
The Event
Taboo (fun to watch when nothing else is on)
What Would You Do
(and obviously Dora, Kai Lan, & Go Diego Go for Nicole)

The shows I wish I was DVRing but they're apparently not on actively/anymore:
Cake Boss
Shark Tank
So You Think You Can Dance
Whale Wars
Selling New York
Design Star

The shows I was DVRing but won't in the future:
Color Splash
Bang For Your Buck

I'm baaaaaa-ck

This is the longest hiatus from blog posting I think I've ever had. Things here have been tumultuous lately. It's made me more than ever thankful for the things and people that keep me sane and supported, most notably Jim, Lisa, and my mom. Fortunately my whole family is in good health and our home life is an sanctuary from the stress for both Jim and I.

Some small things have made me really happy lately:

• Having wine and dessert with my high school girls
• Making pretty (and tasty) layered jello
• Getting great deals at a mother's sale. Best find was a $3 dress that Nicole LOVES and has deemed her princess dress.
• Watching Whale Wars with Jim in the evening
• Looking forward to the Apple Daze Festival

Chris
Chris is very influenced by Nicole. This might come back to bite both of us in the ass, but he was having fun and it was a funny 10 minutes of dress-up for him (video is only 15 sec clip):

I bet I put those shoes back on him two dozen times after he'd walk out of them.

He cut an incisor since I posted last and his bottom right one is swollen and ready to burst with another (tooth #16).

Chris really enjoys our evening family walks. He sits very upright in the wagon clutching a football as we pull him up and down the neighborhood hills.

He knows so many words and says so few (up, ma, da - did say "daddy" once, mih (milk), uh oh, wow, roar)!! My favorites - he knows what hugs and kisses are and is very eager to give me as many as I ask for.

Nicole

She's gone through a bit of an ornery stage lately. We got two bad reports from school on her this week (hitting friends, talking back, stomping around, etc.) which is VERY weird for her. Hopefully she's in a 1-week funk and things will go back to normal.

Nic started ballet class this Monday. It's weekly at 5 which makes it rather inconvenient to get her to and from on time. She said she liked her first class so we'll see if it continues. She's one of the shortest in her class but I'm unsure if everyone in her group is 3 or if maybe there are some 4-year olds too.

She pronounces "successful" like "success-tible" which cracks me up.

I had a strap break on my sandal at work. I threw the shoes away and proceeded to make dinner (turkey & mashed potatoes) upon arriving home. When Nicole went to throw her fruit snack wrapper away she saw the shoes. When I emerged from the bathroom she handed the pair to me saying "Mommy, these were covered in potatoes but I cleaned them for you". Awwww... Have to sneak them into the trash to avoid my very helpful girl apparently!

She's gotten very aware of gender lately- "no, he can't wear that necklace, only girls wear necklaces" or "Mom, get me out of the car and Daddy get Chris. Girl to girl. Boy to boy".

I'm going to try to be on here more and keep a consistant positive attitude.

Life in Pictures

Nicole likes to draw and color but I don't need a gazillion pieces of art. I started taking pictures of the notable ones.

Here she's drawing a snail. Not that it really looks like a snail but without being prompted she drew the whole spiral on her own, which I thought was pretty good for a 36 month old.

This is the picture of Ryann that she drew for Ryann. I see the person pretty clearly and though she said that it's a picture of "Ryann in bed" I miss the "bed" portion (red squiggles). I complimented her on the hat (started as just aqua and green part) so she continued to embellish until it got huge.

We are Farm Bureau members and got invited to their night at Stricker's Grove last Thursday. It was actually better than I remembered....

Nicole went to the dentist for the first time Wednesday morning. She did FANTASTIC (no squirming, whining, etc.) as they worked on her teeth. For a reward they gave her TWO prizes out of the toy box. However, the hygienist didn't like what she picked (a rubber frog and a purple ring) so she gave her a bracelet, stickers/pencil set, and extra princess flossers too.

Also on Wednesday we went to the fire station to get Chris's car seat turned around to face forward. While we were there I entertained the kids while Jim chatted with the fireman. Another fireman came out with their search and rescue dog, Aiden, who liked to play frisbee with the kids.


We did a test of Aiden's skills. We hid Nicole under a blanket on the firemen's beds and told her to stay quiet and still. Then we set Aiden off to "search". He sniffed all of us and all around the room. When he got to the lump on the bed he sniffed it and then barked to indicate that he found something. It was very neat!

Spelling Bee

We've been working with Nicole on spelling a lot lately. Trying to emphasize that we read words, not pictures, and that words are comprised of the letters she already knows.

She can spell her name and knows the sound of each letter so it's not a far jump to quiz her on things like: "Nicole, what planet starts with Ssssssss?"

The other night I told her we were having something great for dinner.
"Hot dogs?" she beamed.
"No, even better," I prompted.
"Chicken Nuggets?"
"Even better. It starts with P."

*thinking*

"Psaghetti!?"

.

Dad's brand of entertainment

Like all little kids, my brothers and I liked to be entertained. Especially on long car trips. My dad was often in charge of this effort and there were three go-to's that were always big hits.

1) Brandy stories- "Brandy" is the name of my cousin's cousin (no relation to our side of the family) who was older than me and therefor automatically cool. Brandy's best and worst characteristic? Her wooden leg. Teenaged Brandy goes on lots of adventures and finds herself in terrible predicaments all solved by said leg. Once she got stranded on the top of a mountain after a helicopter crash and she had to burn her leg and send smoke signals to get rescued. Another time she was rafting the Amazon when she got stranded and needed to use her leg to fight off hungry crocodiles. Her perseverance never failed and neither did her creativity. Classic.

2) Big Bad John- yes, this is the song that you might hear on Oldies 103.5 from time to time. Dad would sing it in his deepest voice possible and we'd all chime in on the chorus.

3) Twilight Zone- when Brandy was doing normal things like going to school or eating dinner we'd tune in to Dad's renditions of old Twilight Zone episodes. Of course we never saw these in real life (and I'll tell you, after I did I liked Dad's versions better). The amazement after discovering that Mr. Jones's whole life had been lived inside a snow globe for little Suzy's entertainment.... The terror of being abducted by aliens for bodily tests and experiments.... It was all so creative and wonderful, how could any kid not like it?

Still working on what my gift to Nicole and Chris may be...

Exhaling

Things around our household seem to be settling down. It's somewhat ironic that I say this when last night Jim and I both had obligations (him a softball tournament, me a meeting at XU) that had us coming home from the babysitter at 9:30pm.

But, the landscaper finally gave us a quote and the sprinkler redesign will be moving forward - another step closer to the deck/wall project being completed. While Jim's job continues to be stressful for him he's done a wonderful job of keeping that stress out of our family life (which is making it more stressful for him overall ??) lately and has taken some big steps in getting his resume outward ready. He applied to his first other company this week.

Nicole "got into" ballet lessons and they start September 18th from 5-5:45. Will take some finagling at work but we both think it'll be fun for her. Her best friend left the school yesterday (is going to the same school her older sister will attend for first grade) and Cameron brought her a Friends card with her picture, silly bands and Dora stickers. Cameron's parents wrote their phone number inside if we want to get together. I think we will!

Chris is finally cutting two bottom teeth and I hope this signals the end of the whiny funk he's been in for about the last three weeks. He's fully cot-trained at school now but is taking shorter naps since it is longer for him to fall asleep in the first place. Haven't gone so far as to convert his bed at home. It's kind of nice having him confined while he's unsupervised....

It's a goal of mine to do something with our downstairs bathroom and the new time frame is October 19th. This might sound like a lot of time but I haven't decided what I want to do so official planning (not just me mulling things over while I drive) needs to commence in short order. Even though this will be a new project, it'll be a fun one (and frickin' about time, we've only been in the house 3 years!).

I'm very aware of how long my hair is getting. It's fun!

Design Star

I really like interior design. I like to read design magazines and I have a folder of clippings of things I've seen that I'd like to incorporate some day.

However, if you've been to my house, you'll quickly see that I don't take a lot of design chances. My furniture and decor is very traditional (tasteful though I think). In general I have a hard time investing my money in trendy stuff. I really appreciate the chances other people take though - Lisa's red living room in her old house; Anjali's green wall in her Cincinnati family room; my aunt's highly patterned, curvy couch, etc.

Watching Design Star is a double edged sword for me. They take lots of chances and I think a lot of them are duds. The judges often think so too. Doing "risky" things for the sake of being risky is a losing proposition.

The other thing that irks me is the furniture/art they pick out. I know this is in NYC but do you really have to spend $4500 on a couch? $1500 on a mirror? What do they do with this stuff after the show airs?

It was only in this last week's episode where the designers had to work with only the objects in the room already (could add paint to the walls though) that I was actually impressed with their creativity. Some of their other projects look okay but there's always an aura of uncohesiveness to it (probably because they encourage the designers to express themselves all while completing the task as a group) and certainly unfinishedness that I wouldn't' want for a space I was living in.

I think if I was to apply to be on the show I'd petition my value on three main fronts:
1) I'd design for the majority of the viewing audience - regular people who like to see new and interesting things with pieces that are actually affordable
2) I'd be a dark horse because I'm not a professional designer (like all the other contestants) so I have no preconceived notions of what's right or not. Just instinct.
3) I think I'm personable enough that I'd make a good host. This is a bit egotistical of me I know, but the classes I teach (both at the university and for my job) are very well-received and are a performance just like this would be.

Life Updates

Christopher

• Says "all done", "What's that?", "where", "ma", "da", and "more".
• Has the sign for milk down and sometimes more
• Knows where his head and tongue are. This morning we worked on eyes by getting him to blink them.
• He's in the process of getting cot-trained at school which I think is very ambitious of his teacher Lysa.

Nicole

• Is picking up quite a bit of Spanish from school
• Loves to play pretend. We "travel" before bed each night - some times to space, some times to the farm, some times to the beach. Lately she's wanted to pretend that she's going to daycare. She drives and there's always at least one instance of sudden braking and grumbling about "bad drivers".
• I mentioned she got a kitchen for her birthday. Jen O. got her this cute cutting set where the pieces Velcro together and you use a wooden knife to split them. Nicole uses the knife to slice and then again when she needs to push the cut piece from the cutting board. Funny the little things she picks up from me that I don't even know she notices.

Jim

• Still trying to switch roles at work. So far it's been a tedious, stressful, unsuccessful process.
• Is actually reading War and Peace
• Moved something like 89 wheelbarrows of top soil (1500 scoops of dirt) to fill in our walled-in flowerbeds over the weekend. He's a beast

Karen

• I read the entire Breaking Dawn book (750 pages) over 5 days while on vacation. I'm now trying to get through the stack of parenting magazines that have been piling up over the last four months.
• Bought $200 in clothes from JC Penney and for the most part am doing at least a 1:1 replacement for existing stuff (which is all going to Goodwill). This is one of 3 real big shopping trips in the last two years and it was both fun and a bit "maybe I shouldn't be spending so much" at the same time. I think I'm just out of practice shopping.
• I'm not teaching this fall due to an admin oversight. I'm looking forward to the break already.
• Been watching Glee (Fox is rerunning) and loving it!

Jim and I are planning a trip to Arizona this fall for our anniversary. Doing some visiting with our friends Chuck and Kristi whom we haven't seen in YEARS.

I broke the camera on vacation (sand) and we had to buy a new one last night. Jim did lots of research and it looks like it'll be fantastic - looking forward to playing with it!

Been having ... interesting... dreams lately.

Traverse City, MI

I've been remiss in reporting about my vacation on here. Work has been insane which makes me want to thoroughly relax after the kids have gone to bed - alas, no effort to write and post pictures.

Here are some clips from our trip!

The drive was about 8.5 hours long including lunch so very tolerable. When we checked in the condo manager told me they were having a "severe heat streak" this week. When I questioned the weather reports I had looked up that said 82 degrees as a high all week he said "Yeah! It'll be hot!". Uhhhh.... It hit over 100 in Cincy while we were gone.

Our favorite ice cream shop was in downtown TC, Annie's. They had $1 soft serve sundaes and cones that we took advantage of 3X in 3 days.






Our condo unit was beach-front but we didn't have a direct lake view. No biggie. We spent several hours enjoying the refreshing lake temperatures. The "waves" were gentle laps that were perfect for Chris. The water was Nicole's waist-height for yards and yards making wading easy and fun for her.




Before we left I had asked my girl friend Sue, whose family owns a summer home in TC, for some highlights on what to do. One of her suggestions was Leelanau County and a trip to the sand dunes. This was a great suggestion and lots of fun!

We took the scenic route and saw some amazing drops into the water. Dad, Nicole, Jim & I walked down about 20% of the way and yes, it was some effort to climb even that. Notice the very small people on the hill to put things in perspective.

When we got to the big dune we all huffed and puffed our way up the ~300 ft. climb to take in some amazing views.



on top of the sand dune:

We also stopped at some wineries on our way up the Mission Peninsula (another Sue recommendation). We toured through some $3M+ houses along the way. Clearly there is big money in cherry growing (this peninsula boasts producing 3/4 of the world's cherries).


We took a 2 hour drive on Thursday of the trip to visit Macinac Island. It's a 15 minute ferry ride from the main land and is a place of no cars - bikes and horses only. It's interesting in it's history but WAY CROWDED with tourists gorging themselves on $12/lb. fudge.

On the way there (and back) we passed through Charlevoix which had streets lined in petunias for 2.5 miles. It was BEAUTIFUL. Wish we had allotted time to stop and shop the boutiques.

Our condo unit was nice - 2 bedroom, 2.5 bath. I'd recommend it!

Had a great time in general and my parents are such a help. The kids were simultaneously (for me at least) the most entertaining and frustrating part of the trip. Both (especially Chris) were somewhat challenging around dinner (40 minute waits are a long time to entertain little kids at a crowded restaurant). We all cracked up at Chris's puckered face after biting into a lemon and impressed with Nicole's evaluation that Grandpa's cinnamon roll was shaped like "a coil".

.

Debating what to do next year.... I was a big fan of the northern weather for sure. Jim wants to consider a staycation. Fortunately we have lots of time and my mom will be retired by then so we'll have even greater flexibility!

Right where I should be

I have a hard time believing in the concept of fate. It's my controlling nature to rebel against the thought that someone, anyone, is directing me or taking choices out of my hands. I'm a big Free Will enthusiast.

There are times, however, that I physically feel "just right". When I was about 8 I distinctly remember playing with Barbies near my closet and having this feeling. It was so overwhelming I stopped and just paid attention to it.

When I was a freshman in college Lisa and I got lunch at Rally's and sat on Marycrest Hill soaking up the autumn sunshine. I don't remember if I said anything to her at the time but I knew I was exactly in the right place at the right time. Like I was supposed to be there.

Years later I felt it again with a boyfriend as we laid in bed and listened to the nighttime through an open window in his house.

It happened yesterday with Nicole. We were cuddling on her bed and I had this great feeling of being settled.

(Starting this paragraph for the fourth time...)

If I was forced to put into words the conclusion that stands out most to me I'd say that whatever path I'm on has some places that I need to be at in order to stay on [the right?] path. The four I mentioned above were [apparently?] on that list. Kind of like stops on a subway line- I need to be here at X time in order to keep going.

The level of utter peace I felt at those moments tells me these are positive things- indicators that I've been where I should have been and am headed where I need to head.

The control-freak in me doesn't like that I have a pre-destined path. [I'm picturing my religious readers groaning at me and shaking their heads about now.] The personality traint that's always looking for confirmation rejoices in finding some.

Regardless, I'm always totally happy in that moment so whatever it means I'm glad I'm experiencing them.

Little Life Happenings

First, I'm SUPER excited that one of my best friends just got engaged. I think it's because when it was my turn to be engaged I was sort of in the middle of my friends (some were married, some were not) and that getting engaged was so much the next logical step for Jim and I that didn't get all the giddiness that I now feel for others. Further, I know how great being married is so I know what they're in for and feel I can be giddy with reason. Congratulations again, Karen!

Watch out everyone else- things like this put me in matchmaking mode.

Chris broke two top teeth yesterday. I'm lucky I noticed- his upper gums didn't look near as swollen or ready to burst as his bottom ones (that have yet to break through).

I straightened Nic's hair for the first time today. I don't think it looks good. It is relatively long (at her shoulder blades) but since it's normally curly it looks like it's chin level most of the time. Her hair is very fine and she doesn't have a lot of strands per square inch (like her cousin) so the curls make for a fuller look and are definitely cuter on her.

A well-deserved vacation is on the way!

I miss Sarah Ford.

I am not a farmer

So I guess that I can't fully imagine the impact that something like this might have on me, but....